Via ABC Mexico:
The prison, like the police, is a fact necessary to the maintenance of social peace. It is the domination and control that allows this filthy world to be maintained. Jail means fear, uncertainty, shame, loneliness and isolation. Society trains individuals to be good citizens. My strength as an individual takes root in fear rejection could be a limit on my life. Of course, I have fear, like everybody, of many things, but my desire for freedom is larger. Fear is often built, and can be destroyed when confronted. What matters is to look beyond, to exceed the limits, boundaries, beyond the walls, mountains, rivers and oceans.
Amelie Trudeu
Solidarity with our imprisoned comrades must be a constant and permanent activity without waiting dates marked on the calendar. However, it is also important to carry out solidarity activities in a coordinated manner between different groups. In that sense it was convened to conduct solidarity actions from 23 to 30 August, not with the idea of centralizing solidarity, but rather to strengthen ties and collaborations internationally.
In Mexico City the call was well received among anarchist groups and individuals. Forums, events in public places, leafleting, radio transmission, an anti-prison critical-mass, placing banners. This is a brief chronicle.
The week began on Saturday 23 with a public rally in the Plaza del Palacio de Bellas Artes. Efforts to place a tent on the esplanade called the attention of the people who were going by, and then we handed out flyers in which explained some of the reasons why we are against prisons:
No need to be close to prisons and imprisonment for knowing that behind those walls hide the humiliation, the degradation of the individual, corruption, etc. These places also privileged place each other under the money you have, show that this “justice”, far from being something you can achieve, is something you can buy. Would only have to shop around to substantiate the amount of people who are being held without trial, the others could not pay the extortion of bureaucracy; a return to those places, gives us a picture of overcrowding and humiliation that are based there. In short, prison smell like confinement and tastes like pain.
Between music, poetry and clown acts, letters of our kidnapped colleagues in several city jails were read: Amelie Trudeu, Roullier Fallon, Carlos Lopez, Mario Gonzalez, Fernando Barcenas, also Oaxacan artisan Abraham. On the esplanade banners where people could read was passing information on prisoners comrades in other parts of the world were laid: Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Spain, Bolivia, Argentina, Belarus, Poland, Bulgaria, England, Chile, Germany:. The afternoon passed without incident, despite at the distance several plainclothes police, who repeatedly came to inquire about who and why organized the event.
The next day, since noon comrades began arriving on bike near the women’s jail in Santa Martha, where are enclosed Amelie and Fallon. While waiting for more comrades arrived to begin ride toward the Eastern Penitentiary (where Carlos Lopez is) we could see some hands poked and greeted us … they were our compas !! We shouted slogans to answer their greeting. Soon as the last compas arrives began our journey, but not before a tour around the prison to shout against the prison system and demonstrate our solidarity. We still scream along the way as we took all lanes of the streets through which we were circulating. Arriving at the prison we surround it, looking for the place that we had previously agreed with Carlos and where supposedly he would be able to hear us.
After giving some messages to the comrade we went to the main entrance of the prison where we made public act; leafleting while singing rap and punk.
At some point a debate with people going out of the visit occurred, as one of them argued that although the prison system is corrupt, the prison serves as correction to those who commit crimes. The comrades who were using the microphone did not have to strive to disprove this, as did other people who were going to visit a relative, who know the futility of prisons, who know firsthand what it means those walls: pain, sadness, loneliness, suffering. We take the time to talk with several people and explain who we were and why we were there, and although at first thought we were some kind of NGO, the kind that only come to see what gain, gradually understood that we are the same, our interest was none other than denouncing prison conditions and encourage them to think themselves, we ourselves are the only ones able to change things, no human rights defender or any authority will actually do something to help, because not really care about us. Only we, together, organized, will be able to stop the prison beast.
Later we would find out that Carlos could not hear us. It did not matter, we were pleased with the meeting generated between family and we, knowing that the best way to show our solidarity with the imprisoned comrades is to continue resisting, fighting and attacking the power there where we find it.
On Tuesday we continued activities with a forum at Che Guevara Auditorium where more timely information on the status of several imprisoned anarchist comrades in the world was given and discussed and reflected on what solidarity is, and understand how we exercise it. One point that was touched repeatedly and repeatedly was when repression is upon instead close ranks the opposite occurs, and the personal and political differences become attacks which facilitate the repressive work. We conclude that it is important to practice solidarity in every moment of our lives, weaving and reinforcing ties, so that when the State tries to break them, they stand firm, recognizing us different in several ways, but united by the desire to destroy the relations of domination and exploitation.
The week of solidarity continued on Thursday with the a radio broadcasting made through the free waves of Regeneration Radio. On Friday and Saturday public events were conducted in two neighborhoods to spread the prison reality and the situation of our comrades more people.
We closed the day with a gathering on Saturday, glad of the good acceptance that our activities had, and raring to continue fighting until all are free !!!